Black Wings
by HisakiYuki
Summary: After waking up on the blood saoked ground of Kinadalia with having lost all of his memories, Rath staggers to his feet and walks on deeper into the forest in search of safety. But with Kharl on his tail and someone else out to get him, what shall await t
1. Awakening Darkness

"**Black Wings"**

By: Vanpi

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately all of the characters here that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting imagination Usually it only includes my characters but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so fare, and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Notes:** The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

"**_Black Wings…"_**

Chapter 1

Awakening Darkness

Rath's blood red eyes opened and gazed upwards towards the darkening night sky. He looked into the trees over shadowing him for a few moments as he tried to gather his thoughts. After a few seconds he finally arose to take a look at his surroundings. Everything looked some-what familiar, but at the same time very unfamiliar. The scent of blood was in the air and for a moment Rath couldn't figure out why it seemed to be so strong, that is, until he took a closer look at his surroundings.

There was a lot of blood that seemed to be everywhere and everything that surrounded him seemed to be just about covered in it. The dark brown of the ancient forest trees had once faded into the color of the dirt and grass. But now they were hidden with the red substance. The boulders surrounding the site were also painted with the substance as well and a few demon bodies intertwined with what seemed to be human forms were littered across the landscape.

As Rath looked around, he tried to figure out what had happened to him before he had found himself on the ground. At the moment his head was throbbing and it seemed to hurt even worse when he tried to concentrate on getting his thoughts in order. Plus, for some odd reason, he couldn't remember anything about himself or his past. ''_What happened to me? And why in the hell am I here of all places, with all these dead corpses around? Who am I, and best yet, where am I?'' _He thought as he sat in bewilderment.

The black-haired teen knelt over and placed his hands on his head as he racked his brains in an attempt to find the answers that should have already flowed back to him by now. After a few moments he noticed that there was some sort of cold, wet substance that had covered a part of his head. It had entangled its self in parts of his pitch-black hair, but most of it seemed to be near the spot that his severe headache was arising from.

A confused look arose on the black-haired boy's face. Rath then removed his hands from his forehead to find that the red substance had covered them. At this moment he now knew that he had to find someone to help him, or else he might not last through the night. The rest of his body was badly bleeding due to the slashes he had received on his chest and this only added to the injury on his forehead. Rath had been struck in the head with something that had caused him to fall unconscious and drop to the cold ground. Who ever had done this damage must have thought that he was dead or was on the edge of meeting these other creatures in the after life. Or, maybe, just maybe they were due on coming back to give him a more torturous death. Due to this, Rath now knew he had to find someone to help him or at least find a place to hide until he figured something out.

His head was now pounding as he struggled to get up, and as he bent over a streak of severe pain shot across his chest and down his side, causing him to wince as he tried to catch his breath. He could tell by the immense pressure that seemed to be suffocating him that he had to have a few cracked or at least broken ribs. Trying to ignore the pain, Rath began to stagger down the darkened night path that was almost hidden by trees, not knowing which way would lead him away to safety and out of this dark, demon infested forest. As each painful gasp escaped Rath's lungs as he staggered on it only reminded him of the state he was in.

/&/

Meanwhile, a Renkin Wizard going by the name of Kharl the Alchemist was in the process of tending to one of his newly created demons within the walls of his castle when a faint but all too familiar smell caught his attention that was riding on the air. The smell of freshly spilled blood had flooded the arising scent on the wind. And in that mixture of blood Kharl could smell one of his pets that he had lost to that dam Demon Clan a long time ago. For a second he paused, wondering if he was truly smelling the scent of that delicate boy he longed to see and feel under his grasps again.

"_Is it truly you? The one that I lost so long ago? Hmm...I guess I shall see you once again my little one." _And with that, the silver-haired Alchemist decided to check and see if one of his long lost pets had been injured in the process of almost returning to him.

He then moved his other pet's dark, blue hair out of the way and grabbed a hold of the collar around his neck. With a flick of his wrist, Kharl chained him to the wall and turned to leave. After this, the young Alchemist walked out of the steel door and swiftly made his way down the dark staircase and through the hallways of his castle.

/&/

As Kharl made his way through the forest of Kainaldia, he focused all of his senses on that of the young Dragon Knight's blood. He soon fell upon the source of most of the scent in the air as he made his way to where demon and dragon clan bodies alike were littered across the ground. Hidden from view by the ancient trees that grew in this part of the demon realm, not many would be able to find this place that easily. That is, except for the scent of the blood for that matter, which would lead any demon and every one of them to this location in a matter of minutes.

Kharl was puzzled by the origin of most of the corpses laid out. Shydeman had obviously set loss another one of his worthless pets to do his dirty work again. In doing so, it had carelessly slaughtered these victims and left them out to dry on the blood-soaked ground. Karl wouldn't really care about this, except for the fact that his pet's blood was all over the place. This really annoyed him, due to the fact that he still wanted to play with his little demon, and now he couldn't find him anywhere within the mess of littered dragon clan and useless demons that covered this blood-soaked ground.

As he searched the ruins of the leftover battle, Kharl's aqua-blue eyes eventually set their gaze on a trail of blood leading away from the scene. As he came closer, the Alchemist was both relieved and horrified to find that Rath's scent was lingering to it.

"_He must have hardly escaped with his life from the looks of it and staggered away from this place in search of safety. As bad as he's bleeding, every demon could be fast on his trail by now. That damn Shydeman! If his little toy dragged him off I'll kill him." _Kharl then began to follow the poor boy's trail of blood in hopes of finding what he was looking for intact. With his moonlit-white cloak scrapping behind him on the ground, he passed through the darkness of the night.

/&/

As the Renkin Wizard walked deeper and deeper into the forest of Kainaldia, that once weak scent of Rath's blood seemed to be growing stronger with every few steps that Kharl took. This made the Alchemist even more anxious in his attempt to find his pet. In doing so, he sped up in the attempt to hopefully recover the black-haired boy sooner.

He soon came to a clearing in this forest filled with nothing but entangling trees and vines. As he looked around Kharl noticed the blood trail that he was following ventured off towards a few huge boulders in the pass. He knew that just behind those caverns, caves lay hidden from view. As he followed the trail into the seemingly never-ending rocks and boulders, Kharl finally came across a figure of a young boy just hidden from view.

Where the trail finally ended, the helpless figure of Rath's unconscious body lay curled up in a fetal position under a green, moonlit bush. He looked as though he had been in a very brutal fight due to all of the injuries his body had been covered in. Plus, the poor boy was now covered in blood to the point that his black trench coat was now caked in the red substance.

With one look at him, Kharl knew that he wouldn't last the night alone if his wounds weren't tended to. He was just glad that he had found him in time before someone else had. The young Alchemist then bent over and picked the black-haired boy's limp, cold body up and wrapped him in his white cloak in an effort to help him keep warm. As he positioned Rath in his arms the helpless Dragon Knight quietly whimpered in protest as he slightly awoke.

"Shh… it's ok my little one. I'm not going to hurt you, just relax. You'll be ok."

As Rath heard the older man holding him in his arms speak, it sounded almost like a whisper, sending words of comfort to him in his helpless state. For some reason his voice sounded very familiar to the boy, but he couldn't quite put his hands on whom it was at the moment.

'_Does he somehow know me? Or is he an enemy?' _Rath thought.With no strength left in his body to resist at all, Rath only had one choice, and that was to trust this guy for the time being and to hope that something good would come out of this in the end.

After Kharl quietly spoke to Rath he watched as his pet looked as though he was lost in thought for a moment before he finally totally relaxed once again and fell unconscious in the older man's arms. A slight smile grew across the young man's face as he looked down at the now sleeping boy. How peaceful he looked just laying there in his creator's arms, just like a wounded bird crawling back to his master with his tattered, black wings.

After this thought crossed the Alchemist's mind, the silver-haired demon turned and began to walk back towards his castle with the boy's limp body held in his arms. Part of his white cloak that was now stained with his pet's blood dragged behind him as he passed. How he couldn't wait for the next few days to play out in front of him with the return of this beautiful child once again. But best of all, he was the only one at the moment able to nurse this boy that just seemed to be begging for attention.

"**_To be continued in chapter two..."_**

**_An: _**Hello! I'm Vanpi and this is my very first fanfic so I hope you guys enjoy it. Please tell me what you think if you like this story or not because it really helps me reflect back on my work as a writer. Also if you guys have any suggestions as to what you might like to see in this story as well, please comment because those are also very welcomed but please read up till chapter six before you make any permanent decisions as what to refer to me. Thanks, and please enjoy. -


	2. Surrounded in Darkness

"**Black Wings"**

By: Vanpi

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately all of the characters here that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting imagination. - Usually it only includes my characters but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so fare, and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Notes:** The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

"**_Black Wings…"_**

Chapter 2

Surrounded in Darkness

Kai-Stern's green coat whipped across the ground as he ran further and further into the forests of Kainaldia. His green eyes flashed across the landscape as he ran in search of the Dragon Knights. Demons everywhere were stirring due to the smell of blood lingering in the air, this only making the Blue Dragon Officer more intent on finding the three guys.

As he came to a slight clearing in this landscape surrounded by trees and demons, the sight of which he fell upon sickened him. Demon body parts where scattered everywhere. But most of all there was blood, and lots of it, everywhere. It was scattered all over the ground and even on the bottom of the nearest trees, to the boulders just hidden from view.

'_God...What has happened here? Did the three Dragon Knights do this? Plus, where are they if..._' His thoughts trailed off as he took a closer look at all the bodies hidden in the clearing.

There seemed to be what looked like two human forms spread out on the ground by two of the closes trees. One looked as though he was curled up in a fetal position with his hair a shade of dark brown. The other boy laying to the right of him had golden blonde hair with long strands that fell everywhere. Kai-Stern could tell that they were Rune and Thatz at first glance.

"Shit! Rune, Thatz! What the hell happened to you guys?" The blonde screamed as he ran towards their unconscious bodies. Thatz was in a small pool of blood, proof that he had been hit in the abdomen with something or someone that was trying to tare at his insides before he fell unconscious. Rune on the other hand, seamed to be the best off of the two with only a scrap on the right side of his face, although he must have been hit hard enough to get knocked unconscious in the process.

As Kai-Stern leaned over he picked up Thatz and placed him in his arms, as he lay there unconscious. The boy's wounds needed to be tended to soon due to the fact that they were still in the process of bleeding and hadn't stopped yet. His abdomen had been sliced into several times in a matter of seconds and with the way Thatz's body was laid out when he found him, the blue Dragon Officer could tell that the boy had sheltered it as much as possible before falling unconscious. Now, the brown-haired boy lay there in his arms as helpless as ever.

A few feet from Kai-Stern's dark green trench coat, Rune began to stir from his forced sleep. The side of his face was throbbing with pain and this was the only thing annoying him at the moment as he awoke. His ears had just seconds before picked up the voice of someone who sounded familiar. As he thought to himself, that someone sounded like... '_Kai-Stern!'_

At the thought, Rune's light blue eyes flew open and darted around in search of the voice's sender. As he stared up into the trees he noticed the sky was a dark shade of blue fading into black with only the moon there to highlight everything around that lay quietly in existence. This sent the message to him that it was very late in the day and due to this he must have been out for a while now.

The blonde Dragon Knight looked over to his left to see the figure of Kai-Stern bent over, holding the limp figure of Thatz in his arms. From what Rune could see, the brown-haired Dragon Knight looked to be pretty badly beaten, with blood all over the front of his cloths and down his side. He looked so helpless in this position with his brown hair laying partially on his face that carried the expression of exhaustion written all over it.

With the mixture of this sight unraveling before him and the scent of blood mixed into the air, Rune began to remember parts of what had happened before he had fallen unconscious. A demon unleashed by Shydeman had come after them while destroying everything in its path. It had come up to them from behind with such a speed that it had caught them all off guard and in it's fury, it had killed all the demons in it's path. Even though Rune didn't get a good look at it before falling unconscious, he was able to get a glimpse of Rath fighting it before it lashed out at its victim several times, leaving the dragon knight on the ground. After that Rune had screamed out to Rath in hopes of a reply, but before he knew it the dragon-like-creature was on him and then something had hit him in the temple just hard enough to send him into a pit of darkness. After that, everything had turned pitch black for the blonde Dragon Knight of Water up until this moment.

As Rune sat up, he placed his right hand on his face where he had been hit. His face was now throbbing with pain to the extent that he thought that, in time he might get a headache due to the impact that had left him unconscious. Other then this, he was glad that a blow to the head was the only injury he had been given aside from a few minor scraps and bruises. Seeing the extent of damage done around him it could have been much worse.

As he sat up, Kai-Stern caught a glimpse of the now fully awakened Rune. From what he could see the dragon knight looked to be a little disheveled, but other then that, fine by all means, aside from the scrap on his face. The blonde's hair was now slightly dangling in his face and in the process, hiding a part of the scratch on the right side of it. Aside from this, Runes eyes seemed to be intently peering on the unconscious Thatz sitting in his arms.

"How is he?" Rune asked intently, not letting his gaze slip off the boy.

"Pretty badly beaten up I should say, but he'll pull through once we've tended to his wounds. But first we need to stop the bleeding soon so his situation doesn't decrease." As Kai-stern replied to the question Rune had let ride on the air, he then fixed his gaze once again on the sleeping boy in his hands. He was becoming more worried about him as the seconds passed due to the fact of how severe his wounds were even though he wouldn't allow his actual feelings on the subject to be cast into the air. He just knew somewhere deep, down in his heart that Thatz would pull out of this for he had come through with just as bad or worse scraps then this before.

Hearing the tension in Kai-Stern's voice as he spoke, Rune could tell that Thatz was worst off then he had said. Looking intently at Thatz's wounds, Rune could tell that they hadn't stopped bleeding by now and some kind of action had to be taken, and taken soon if they were going to save him.

Contemplating in his head, the blonde tried to think of any way possible to help out his friend. "_Wait…what about my healing powers? I could use just enough of my energy to stop his bleeding until we get him to a safer place to stitch up his wounds, then he would be able to rest calmly and in time, recover."_

With that, the blonde haired dragon knight slowly arose to his feet and walked over to his friends' side. As he bent down the blonde gently raised his hands and placed them on Thatz's chest while Kai-Stern closely looked on as all he could do was put all his trust in Rune's powers at the moment.

The Dragon Knight then summoned up as much power as he could in his body and directed it in the process of helping to heal Thatz's wounds, just enough to stop the bleeding. As he did, his unconscious friend seemed to relax just a bit in the Blue Dragon Officer's arms. Hopefully this would do for now, even though Rune really wanted to fully heal his ally. But, unfortunately, Rune had run low on power himself after this last fight and if he directed the rest of it all on his friend he might end up falling unconscious once again. If this were to happen he could risk himself of dying from exhaustion in the process without having enough power to survive at the moment. Plus, without any outsiders' help this could be tragic.

The tension in Kai-Stern's heart dropped as he saw Rune summon up as much power as he could manage to heal Thatz. Relived of this fact, the Blue Dragon Officer quickly realized that they needed to get to a safer place were all four of the dragon clan could rest peacefully.

" Now that Thatz is taken care of we need to get to safer ground for the four of us to rest. Wait, I said four, but there is only three of us. Where's Rath?" Suddenly realizing that Rath was missing, Kai-Stern's eyes quickly darted around in search of the black-haired boy. His effort eventually came up empty when he couldn't see any glimpse of Rath anywhere.

"Rune, do you think that maybe he took off after the demon when you guys were in battle?" This was the only thing Kai-Stern could think of at the moment except for the fact that he might have been dragged off by someone, but the Dragon Officer didn't want to allow these thoughts to fill his head at this moment.

After hearing what Kai-Stern had to say a confused look spread across Rune's gentle face. "I don't think that is what happened because he was right over there, unconscious on the ground right before I fell unconscious as well."

With this, the young Dragon Knight pointed towards were Rath had fallen only hours before and followed his gaze with his finger as well. Now there was no sign of their friend were he had lain as Rune and Kai-Stern looked on, except for the pool of blood in his place. Something must have happened after he had fallen unconscious. Plus, from the looks of it, Rath had either been dragged or somehow he had staggered out of the clearing from were he had laid due to the little trail of blood leading away from the puddle and deeper into the forest.

Coming to the realization that Rath was no longer around, both Kai-Stern and Rune reluctantly turned to the fact that they needed to get to safer ground and get their friend some advanced help before pursuing a search for Rath. For all they knew, he could've been dead by now and their number one priority at the moment was staying alive themselves. In dong so, they both helped each other carry Thatz as they slowly made their way deeper into the forest in search of a safe place to hide before Thatz was well enough to travel.

It wasn't long before they disappeared into the night as they went deeper and deeper into the forest, not knowing what lay ahead for them in the end. The moon was in a shade of the deepest red, shining brightly over them as they continued their journey in an effort to survive the night in this forest infested with demons around every turn.

"**_To be continued in chapter three..."_**

**_An:_** Hello! It's me once again. I really don't know what to do when with my plot bunnies when it comes to this spin on this story but I think its getting somewhere. Poor Thatz….-. I hated him have to get hurt. I hope that things start to look up for him further on here. Anyway, if your wondering; Yes, Rath will appear in the next chapter, I promise. I guess that's a little incentive to keep you guys reading for now. - Until then, I guess this is bye bye for now.


	3. Open arms

"**Black Wings"**

By: Vanpi

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately all of the characters here that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting imagination. - Usually it only includes my characters but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so fare, and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Notes:** The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

"**_Black Wings…"_**

Chapter 3

Open arms

Kharl watched as the boy's chest rose up and down as he placed Rath's tattered and torn body on the bed. He had just come out of the cold, wet forest of Kainaldia after finding the black-haired dragon knight on the verge of death, hidden under a bush. There had been blood everywhere and with the many scents riding on the air at that moment, the alchemist wouldn't have been able to find this teen if it wouldn't have been for his own trail of blood. Rath had left it there after waking up and staggering away from the bloody scene that had cost him his memories. Tattered and torn bodies had been littered all over the ground after what that demon had done, and Kharl was surprised that even one person could have survived from it, let alone Rath. Now the helpless teen laid in one of Kharl's most comfortable beds clinging to life, with only the Alchemist and his minions to take care of him.

The Renkin Wizard watched as his helpless pet lay there, clinging on with what little energy he had left. He had to do something soon, and if not, he might loose his precious pet that had just come back to him like a wounded bird with tattered black wings just asking to be saved. There was no way that Kharl would allow this boy to slip away from his grasps due to what Shydeman had done. The very thought annoyed him and if anything; it only made him more intent on nursing Rath back to health.

With that thought, Kharl took another look at the sleeping boy's wounds, then got up and headed towards the bathroom in search of some rages and medical supplies to clean his wounded bird up. As he looked around in the bathroom he picked up the towels, rages, and medical supplies needed for his task at hand. After this, the Renkin Wizard tried to think of what he could use to put the warm water in that he needed to clean off Rath's wounds. After searching for a bit, the silver-haired Alchemist found what he was looking for. Under the sink in the cabinet Kharl had found a clean bucket that would serve perfectly for this. After placing the supplies in it, the Alchemist then headed back to Rath's side.

As Kharl entered back into the bedroom from the bathroom, he set his deep, dark, ocean-blue eyes once again on that demon's victim. The black-haired boy's blood had now gotten onto the sheets and was still all over his black trench coat. A frown was placed onto Kharl's gentle looking face after seeing this. The poor boy was still bleeding, and that meant that Kharl was going to have to give him at least a few stitches in the process of bandaging his wounds.

_'I'm going to have to change his sheets when I'm through with cleaning him up now. My poor little bird. Your wings have been more tattered then I thought at first. Just please pull through?_' Kharl thought to himself as he bent over the side of Rath's bed in order to take off his trench coat.

Kharl's silver, shoulder length hair partially draped over his face as he gently placed Rath once again in his arms. As the poor boy was leaned up against him, Kharl maneuvered him as little as possible so he wouldn't make Rath's wounds any worse, just enough to get the trench coat free and off of his pet. After removing the blood-caked trench coat, the silver haired man placed Rath gently down on the bed once again and threw the coat on to the floor.

Since Rath's black T-shirt was caked in blood as well and more or less ruined because of this, Kharl didn't feel the need to endanger his wounded bird just to save the piece of clothing. To deal with this, the sleek man got into his supplies he had just retrieved from the bathroom and pulled out a pair of scissors. With a flick of his wrist, Kharl cut into the clothing covering the wounded boy's chest and after a few seconds, the shirt slide down it's wearers sides in pieces, revealing his badly beaten state.

Rath's chest looked bad, really bad. The sight of what that demon had did to him sickened Kharl as he set his eyes upon his poor pet. This boy hadn't been tattered and torn, he had been ripped to shreds with slashes all over his body, each one still bleeding to a certain extent. This was going to take a while to repair and at the sight of this, Kharl couldn't even imagine what was keeping his beautiful pet ticking at the moment.

Regretting not paying any attention to the sounds of the demons and other creatures screaming when that demon had been set loss, Kharl picked up a warm rag out of the pail and gently placed it on Rath's badly beaten chest. Careful not to break open any more of Rath's wounds, the blue-eyed Alchemist began to gently clean his pet's bloody chest.

After spending hours with the process of cleaning off, stitching, and finally bandaging his pet, Kharl flopped down on a chair placed by the window of Rath's room. Finally it was over, finally he was finished with his task and now he was exhausted.

Kharl then looked over at his now stable Rath relieved that he had hung on as long as he did. If he wouldn't have found him, the black-haired boy might have only been a dead corpse by now for the other demons in the forest to play with and fight over. Now, Rath seemed to look more peaceful lying there in a now clean bed. This being a fare cry from how he had looked when the Alchemist had first found and brought him here just a few hours ago.

Amused by his efforts, the silver-haired Alchemist now held a slight smile that crawled across his face as he looked at the now peaceful Rath sleeping in his bed. The sun had already set in Dusis hours ago and Kharl could feel his eyelids trying to shut on their own. Fully aware of how tired he was he took one last look out the window before finally curling up in the chair with his other clean white cloak that he had changed into a few seconds ago, after tending to Rath.

The moonlight was the only thing at the moment highlighting the tops of the trees and the pond down below that was feed by a stream coming down from the mountains above the landscape. With the way it cast it's self on the land at the moment it looked as though it was bouncing off and sparkling on everything it seemed to touch. With this, Kharl's last thoughts were of how mystical it looked before finally falling asleep, all wrapped up in his long white cloak. And with that, the night slowly faded to black as the moon faded from view and the two boys were left alone to rest, patently waiting for what was going to happen in the days to come.

"**_To be continued in chapter four..."_**

**_An: _**Hello! It's me yet again. Right now this plot is growing little by little with each chapter I write and I don't even know were it's going to end up when I'm finished. So as I said, I'm unfortunately only along for the ride. I'm actually really surprised that Kharl is being really nice and caring for a change. I mean, he's always seemed as that sort of guy, but there's always something nagging me in the back of my head that he has some kind of plot up around the corner, just waiting for someone to fall prey to him. Well, I guess that's happened, sort of. Anyway, if you've gotten this fare in reading as well, then good for you cause your in the same boat as me, except I'm the one that can give you another chapter so... Ha! Well, until next time, bye bye for now. -


	4. Awakening Spell

"**Black Wings"**

By: Vanpi

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately all of the characters here that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting imagination. - Usually it only includes my characters but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so fare, and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Warning: **A little bit of yoai thrown in towards the end even though its unsuspected.

**Notes:** The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

"**_Black Wings…"_**

Chapter 4

Awakening Spell

The landscape slowly came into view as the sun rose, revealing its beauty in all its glory once again. The birds chirped in the distance as the two boys still lay asleep in their place. It was a warm day and there was nothing but a few clouds in the sky that rolled by at this time of day. With the awakening new day everything in the landscape seemed to be given rebirth along with it.

As the sun made its way into the room, it set its gaze on the Alchemist's gentle face. Kharl stirred due to this, regretting falling asleep were the day was allowed to awaken him once again. As he opened his eyes the silver-haired man was meet with sever pain from the sun's rays that blasted it's self in his eyes.

He shut them quickly after this, wondering why of all reasons he had picked a chair to fall asleep in, in the first place. Of all places, he should be curled up in his bed at this hour. After a few moments, and with the aid of looking over in Rath's direction, the Alchemist finally remembered the reason for his actions the previous night.

" Ah.. My little wounded bird, how could I forget about you? Even for a second? Well now, lets see how you're doing this morning." After letting his words ride carelessly on the air, Kharl slowly arose from his chair and made his way to the other side of Rath's bed to take another look at his wounds.

The boy looked so peaceful just lying there like there wasn't a care in the world at the moment. With just one look at him, who would have known about the ordeal the boy had just gone through the previous night. But, just underneath those baby-blue covers hidden from view was a mass of bandages coving the Dragon Knight's wounded body.

Looking at the site of his little wounded bird, a slight smile grew once again on Kharl's lips. As he bent over, the Alchemist slowly removed the covers from his sleeping boy.

That smile slightly faded away as the silver-haired man set his gaze on the bandages that were just seconds ago, hidden from view. The poor boy had stopped bleeding sometime in the middle of the night, but not until after Kharl had bandaged his wounds. Now the bandages around his waist, abdomen, and chest needed to be replaced, but at least he had stopped bleeding by now and that fact made some of the tension in Kharl's heart drop.

The silver-haired Alchemist slowly stood and went to the bathroom to once again retrieve the medical supplies needed. It wasn't soon after this that the Renkin Wizard had found what he was looking for and was back at Rath's side with bandages in hand.

As he sat down by his pet's side he set the supplies down on the floor to the right of him. Kharl then bent over and once again placed the Black-haired boy in his arms with his ever-so-gentle touch. After slowly undoing the boy's bandages, the Renkin Wizard then gently cleaned his wounds off for a second time before applying yet another set of bandages to the sensitive flesh once again.

After finishing his task at hand, Kharl gently laid the boy back down on the bed and covered him up once again. Now Rath could sleep more comfortably then before, and this man didn't have to worry about the bandages becoming stuck to the sensitive skin in the process.

Amused by his work done here, Kharl decided that he should probably clean up the place and get something to eat before taking a walk for a change around his garden. Making up his mind, the Alchemist picked up the supplies on the side of Rath's bed and disposed of them in the bathroom. After cleaning up in the bathroom and taking a shower in the process, Kharl walked out of the room and picked up Rath's blood-caked trench coat and proceeded to make his way out the door.

/&/

Making his way down the staircases and hallways of his castle, the master came closer and closer to Gil's cell. From the way it sounded as he made it through the halls of the castle, the blue-haired demon could tell his master was in a semi good mood. The last thing that this guy wanted to do at the moment was put his master in a foul mood, so he just sat back and waited for him to unlock the door to his cell.

As the sound of his master coming nearer stopped right outside the door to his cell, the dark-blue-haired demon then heard the sound of keys being fiddled around with and shoved into the lock. After a few seconds the door to Gil's cell flew open and there his master stood, with a smile on his face and a bloody trench coat in his hand.

"How's my little bird doing today? I have good news. My long lost pet has finally returned to me. But as you know good news always follows with the bad, and... His beautiful wings have been clipped due to that Damn Shydeman!" As Kharl spoke to his other pet, the smile quickly turned to a frown before he decided to speak again.

"So, I've been thinking. Since my beautiful bird's wings have been clipped he is going to have to have around the clock care and I don't think I can manage all of it on my own. So, I have a proposition for you. If you take care of him when I'm not, without getting into trouble yourself while watching over him, then I'll let you have one of those long awaited rooms upstairs, instead of this dump that I hate to keep you in. What do you say?" Now the Alchemist was staring into Gil's beautiful yellow eyes, just waiting for his answer.

When Gil heard his master giving him a decision in the matter his heart skipped a beat. '_Who is this little wounded bird that he's talking about? Up until now, I'm the only one around here that he refers to as his pet. I wonder what's been going on lately._' And with that thought, the teen made his decision.

" Master Kharl, I would be honored if I could serve you in the attempt to take care of this boy. Even after the time when you found me and nursed me back to health when I was afraid of you. In my attempt to get away I fled from you, but I didn't know what true freedom was until I meant you. Just please don't punish me any more down here for trying to make it on my own? That's all I ask of you."

After gathering up all his courage, Gil let the words to his reply ride on the air like the lost pieces of a letter just waiting to be found and read. Even though all he wanted more then anything at this moment was to get away from here, at least he had been given a chance to better his situation at the moment and in time, maybe even tip the scales. So, for now, he would do what ever his master told him in order to build up the trust between them once again. But after he got the chance to get away, Gil would take it and run, never looking back.

Kharl was greatly amused by his pet's reply and in the process he walked over to his side. Kneeling down on the side of Gil's cot, his master then placed the blood-caked trench coat on the end of it before placing his hands once again in his pocket. Retrieving the keys hidden from view, Kharl then moved his hands closer to Gil's neck in the attempt to unlock the chain from his collar. After doing so, the ocean-blue-eyed Alchemist stood once again in front of his little pet and spoke one last time.

" I'm very proud of the decision you've made. I just hope you live up to it. Plus, you're too beautiful to keep locked up down here, especially when it's me who has to take care of you. But that's just my opinion. You're collar will stay in place, but you're free to roam around the castle without leaving the grounds. Other then that, will you please clean this trench coat before returning it to my wounded bird's room? In the process, look after him will you?" Kharl choose his words carefully as he spoke to his pet. If he were to say anything off center, his little toy might take it as an invitation to do just what he didn't wish and the Alchemist didn't want that to happen.

After speaking for the last time, Kharl bent down to eye level and leaned closer to Gil's face. Gil's dark blue locks fell into his face, as he stood frozen in fear, wondering what might happen next. Then the Alchemist smiled slightly and leaned in closer, before placing his lips on Gil's. After a few seconds their lips parted and Gil stood there as shocked as ever. With this, Kharl backed away and snickered before standing up and making his way to the door.

As Gil heard the door slam, he took in a deep breath and felt relieved. Finally his master was gone and he could be alone. He looked over at the chain that had bound him here only seconds ago. At least he was free now to go and do what ever he wanted, after tending to his tasks. Well at least almost anything, but the fact still remained that he couldn't go off the primacies. But hopefully that would change in the future because in the meantime he was going to do whatever his master told him in the attempt to build the trust between them.

As Gil's yellow eyes pierced through the darkness of his cell, he set his gaze upon Rath's blood-caked trench coat. As he stared at it, memories of his childhood came rushing back to him. That day a few years ago, when the Alchemist had found him as a child he had been gravely wounded by a demon that had been set loss. In an attempt to save him, his master had placed a demon seed in his eye that cursed him to this day. Then, on every full moon as he transformed into that overgrown demon cat, Kharl would allow him to prey on humans until the day he turned on his master. Since then Kharl had chained him to the cold brick wall in this room, with this cot in hopes of punishing his pet to the point that he would never try that stunt again.

Gathering his thoughts once again, Gil shacked his head in an attempt to get rid of the images from his childhood that were engraved in his head. He had things to do and no time to spend at the moment contemplating on past issues. There was another one of his master's pets laying upstairs in a bed needing to be looked after at the moment and he was down here, thinking about his own self.

Placing his feet on the cold floor, Gil stood up and grabbed the trench coat laid out on his bed. After this, he headed towards the door and walked into the hallway before making his way down the passage and up the staircase in order to start his task presented to him moments ago.

/&/

As Kharl the Alchemist made his way through the gardens surrounding his castle, he took in the scenery around him. There were butterflies flying everywhere due to the flowers all around and various types of birds chirped in the distance. This was a nice day unlike any other, which made it seem that everything was born anew at the moment.

As the Renkin Wizard was marveling at the way his plants looked and were growing for this time of the year he felt blessed. Not many years allowed this much growth and prosperity in the very beginning of spring due to the temperature, but this year had been very generous with nothing but warm weather, and trickles of rain every few days.

As Kharl was tending to his plants he heard a faint noise that seemed to be coming from the side of the forest of Kainaldia. It sounded as though a young demon had been wounded and this only made the Alchemist more curious as to what was making the sound. So, in the attempt to find out what was raising all the commotion, Kharl put down the plant he held in his hands and began to make his way towards the not-so-distant cries.

Coming to a clearing in the forest of Kainaldia, Kharl finally found what he was searching for. There in the clearing, beside a tree stump was a figure of what looked like a tiny white dragon-like creature. The Alchemist would have thought that it was a dragon right off the bat if it wouldn't have been for the scent of the little guy, which clearly stated that he, in fact, was a demon. The poor thing had a gash in its side, and there could have been one of many things that could have caused this. Kharl fell in love with it at first glance and was about to pick it up when a voice yelled out to the creature.

"Perish! Get over here, now!" The poor little guy jumped at the sound of the voice and ran towards it. Kharl watched as the little guy followed the voice and weakly jumped into its master's arms as he bent over to receive him.

At first glance Kharl couldn't tell who it was, but he had a very good clue with that cloak and long white hair draped down to the ground. As the demon picked up his little wounded pet and stood, facing him, Kharl was finally able to see his face. In that moment of realization Kharl's face turned from looking curious to that of shear hatred for the man in front of him, the one that had allowed his demon to slash his pet to shreds.

"Shydeman!" Kharl spat as the demon laid his eyes on the Alchemist and, in the process, he gave the Renkin Wizard a slight smile.

"**_To be continued in chapter five..."_**

**_An: _**Hello once again to all the readers out there. - I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far. I feel sorry for Rath right now. I hope my muse allows him to wake up in the next two or three chapters because... if not, I'm going to be sad. Plus, what's with Kharl trying to, or actually kissing Gil, to only then leave him with the task of taking care of his other wounded pet that's like a bird with tattered black wings at the moment? I think Kharl's true personality is starting to unfold unless that's just me. Other then that, I would like to here what you guys think about this situation as well and your more then welcome to give me ideas for what you think should happen. So please help my muse out if you will because she often finds herself stuck in the weirdest situations. Also many thanks to those that read, the characters and I appreciate it! -


	5. Crescent Moon

"**Black Wings"**

By: Vanpi

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately all of the characters here that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting imagination. - Usually it only includes my characters but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so fare, and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Notes:** The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

"**_Black Wings…"_**

Chapter 5

Crescent Moon

The moonlight shined brightly overhead as Kai-Stern's coat scraped on the ground beneath them. Thatz was cradled in his arms as he and Rune staggered on in the attempt to get out of this place. Soon they passed a swamp that was covered over with black smoke and engulfed with a dark aura. The mountains of which they had traveled through before arriving at this place weren't too far ahead. Hidden there within the cliffs, the members of the Dragon Clan would be able to rest safely and Kai-Stern would finally be able to get a good look at Thatz's wounds.

The darkness in the sky was fading and the sun rising, giving birth to a new day. A fading color of light blue stretched in the sky overhead as it painted its self over the landscape. The horizon had also mixed various shades of orange, purple, and red in with the sheet of sky as it filled the place with color.

As the light hit the trees resting on the base of the cliffs ahead, the full beauty of this land became breath taking. The dark green of the pine trees, rose bushes, and grass came into view as a mystical masterpiece painted its self against the base of the mountain ahead. One that only Mother Nature could create.

"Just around that corner we can finally rest and refresh ourselves." Rune said, sounding a bit exhausted as they finally reached the border of the forest where the trees met with the cliffs. Thatz's wounds had stopped bleeding sometime in the very early hours of the morning. Plus, due to this, Kai-Stern had decided that it was better to take a chance on finding a safer place to hide then taking shelter in the trees of the demon-infested forest of Kainaldia.

When they both reached the base of the moss-covered cliff, Kai-stern and Rune began to slowly climb the boulders in front of them. Carefully trying not to slip and fall for Thatz's sake, Rune helped Kai-stern as he took each step.

As they finally reached the top of the cliff over-looking the demon land around them Kai-stern gently laid Thatz down on a thick patch of moss. A tiny pool of water lay in the middle of this place and littered around it was a collage of rose bushes covered in white flowers and various species of plants and grass.

"Not something you'd expect to find in a place like this, especially under these circumstances." Kai-Stern muttered under his breath as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and began to walk towards the glistening pond.

Ringing out the little piece of cloth, the blonde stood and walked once again towards Thatz's side. Gently opening the unconscious Dragon Knight's vest and pulling back his black, blood-soaked, sleeveless shirt, Kai-Stern and Rune looked at the sight of Thatz's wounds. He was severely bruised and three huge gashes littered his otherwise flawless body. They had cut deep into his flesh and even though they looked to have already healed a third of the way, the swollen red flesh surrounding them cried out infection. If it were to get much worse, the brunette could forget about having to worry about just having three scars scattered across his chest because he could die.

Horrified by this, Kai-Stern gently placed Thatz in his arms and began to cleans the sleeping boy's wounded body as best he could at the moment. With no proper bandages with them, Rune took off his white T-shirt hidden under his pearl-white coat and ripped it into strips in order to temporarily wrap up his friend's chest.

After tending to Thatz, the Blue Dragon Officer placed the unconscious boy back on the moss-covered ground. Thinking about the severity of his wounds, the man knew they had to make it back to Draqueen by nightfall. _' This means that the only way out is by flight alone, but all the Dragons are out of commission at the moment due to what has happened. That is...except for Rune's.'_ Kai-Stern thought to himself and then turned to Rune.

" Hey Rune. Is your Water Dragon able to fly at this moment? And if so, is it possible to fly all of us back to Draqueen by night fall?" Kai-Stern asked, hoping to god that they could use this as their way out of here.

After pondering the question for a few moments, Rune finally spoke while a strand of his long blonde hair fell before his face. " Yes, it is possible for Water to do so, but there is one problem. If we were to fly over this demon infested land the demons would surely catch on to us due to the fact that they'd be able to smell the blood on Thatz. We would have to do something about his cloths if we decide to use my dragon in order to get back to Draqueen."

" We don't have much of a choice. His wounds are so severe that we have to do something and do it soon because he's not going to last much longer with that infection. If the demons are going to catch onto the smell of the blood on his clothing, he can wear the shirt I have on under my trench coat. That means that all of his blood soaked clothing will have to be left here before we take flight." The Dragon Officer replied as he looked at Rune, then back to the helpless figure of their friend on the ground.

After coming to this conclusion, Kai-Stern began to unbutton his forest-green trench coat and before long, he let it slip off to then land on the ground behind him. Where the warm coat had hidden his upper torso a few seconds ago, a light blue T-shirt now showed off Kai-Stern's nicely built chest. Within seconds the Dragon Officer had slipped the shirt upwards and over his head to only then reveal his flawless skin underneath. With a body to-die-for and a cute face, it was no wonder that the many people he had came into contact with usually became either very attached or jealous of him. This had slightly bothered him over the years due to the fact that he had never wanted to feel superior in any way, shape or form to anyone outside of his enemies. So, due to this, he hid himself within his trench coat as soon as his shirt was put aside. Rune just looked on, waiting to see what he'd do next.

After buttoning up the last of the buttons on his trench coat, the blonde-haired Dragon Officer bent down beside his wounded friend once again. Slightly placing him in his arms, Kai-Stern slowly began to take off Thatz's vest and black shirt and after a few moments they were on the ground beside them. Replacing the blood-drenched shirt that had covered the young mans body just seconds before with Kai-Stern's blue one, the Dragon Officer then picked Thatz's limp body up and stood to face Rune. They were finally ready to leave this place once and for all.

As Kai-Stern stood before Rune with Thatz in his arms, the Dragon Knight of Water decided that it was time to finally leave this place. Closing his eyes, he used his entire conciseness to call to the depths of his soul, trying to awaken his dragon from its slumber. As he did so, a bright blue aura arose around the former elf, his golden hair dancing around himself and intertwining with the blue energy.

Soon Rune's dragon stood forth in front of the three members of the Dragon Tribe in a shade of the deepest bluish-white that shined like silver. This was a sight like no one had ever seen before. To add to this, his body was not covered in scales like most would expect, but looked as though it had been blessed with feathers. The Dragon of Water glistened against the sparkling waters of the pond and the pool of water only added to the godly look that the creature gave off.

After quietly whispering to Water and gently stroking the dragon on its velvet-soft nose, Rune motioned for Kai-Stern to come forward. Within seconds Rune had helped Kai-Stern and Thatz onto the back of his friend and the Dragon of Water stretched forth his wings to ride on the midday air. After a few minutes past the mystical sight of the beautiful dragon carrying his friends to safety disappeared against the horizon, heading towards the castle in Draqueen, their home.

"**_To be continued in chapter six..."_**

**_AN: _**Hello. It's me once again. I'm happy because I think I'm finally getting somewhere with these characters but after this I'm not really sure what to do with them. I feel so sorry for Thatz right now, with have that bad infection in all, but I dn't know were to go from here with this part of the story. So if you guys have any suggestions as to what you think should happen, please review? Other then that, please comment and tell me what you think so far because it really helps to know your thoughts and feelings on this story as well. Thanks.


	6. A Warning from Hell

"**Black Wings"**

By: Vanpi

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately all of the characters here that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting imagination. - Usually it only includes my characters but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so fare, and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Notes:** The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

"**_Black Wings…"_**

Chapter 6

A Warning from Hell

"Shydeman!" Kharl spat as the demon laid his eyes on the Alchemist, giving the Renkin Wizard a slight smile.

" Ah! I noticed you've found you're little pet, did you not? I can tell by the fact that you have been drenched in his scent. You better watch it though because this little guy is mine." Shydeman calmly replied as Kharl stared into his eyes with two fires burning brightly inside the orbs. The demon then looked down at the weak creature in his arms and softly stroked the little guy.

" You know, I really don't care when you decide to go on a killing spree, but when you notice that one of my pets is involved you should know better then to tare him to shreds." The Renkin Wizard spat as he clenched his fists tighter at his side. Kharl noticed that Nadil's hit man clearly didn't give a damn by the slight grin that played its way across the older man's face.

" Well usually I would avoid certain tragedies, but this time he was in the way. On another note, how am I supposed to take a toy out of my pet's mouth after I said he could play with it? I'd get killed. Besides, I think my little Perish would be sad if I did something like that and we don't want that, now do we?" Shydeman replied softly as a look of utter disgust crawled across Kharl's face.

Severally disgusted by the last statement that one of the leaders of Nadil's army had just let ride on the air, Kharl slightly waved his hand up into the air. Within seconds Right Bird soared over-head and circled around the two entities before perching on his master's hand. With a flick of his wrist, the winged creature took flight again as it attempted to attack the silver-haired demon in front of them.

As Right Bird came into contacted with Shydeman, the demon held out his hand and a spark of blue energy burst forth, causing the little creature's black feathers to fly every where. The little creature went limp from the impact and Kharl dived for it as he plummeted to the ground.

As Kharl caught the winged creature, he held it close as they both landed on the ground. The little guy was now unconscious due to the impact that had just zapped his energy. At least it wasn't too severe that no more then a little needed rest would be able to restore him. As pissed as ever, Kharl glanced up at his opponent and met the taller man's eyes with more burning hatred then ever.

" My. You sure are disoriented today. All I did was come here to retrieve my pet and you're attacking me. If you knew better, you wouldn't be trying that right now because I know someone who's looking for you're little pet as well. If you keep on insisting that we fight with each other, I might just go and give my lord a hint as of where he can find his lost little toy." Shydeman said as he peered down at the man cradling his pet on the ground in front of him, a smile crawling across his beautiful face at the sight.

He then turned to leave, back into the forest of where he had emerged. As Kharl noticed the man turn around he tried to yell at him to wait, but he was to late. Shydeman had already vanished in a cloud of reddish-orange smoke right before the Alchemist's very eyes.

Feeling defeated, Kharl stood and began to make his way back to his castle. He needed to do something about this to make sure that he could have the upper hand, even if it was only for the time being.

/&/

In the depths of the Alchemist's castle the Renkin Wizard searched frantically for the softest collar he could find after leaving his Right Bird to rest upstairs. After a few minutes past he found what he had been looking for. There, on the damp, brick wall lay the velvet-like band that was hidden behind all of the others just seconds before. The collar itself was made of black leather that had been worn down over the years due to use. But this made it better then all the others due to the fact that the worn condition it was in made the material the softest of all. This made it feel as though it was more like velvet then leather at the touch.

" Perfect." Kharl thought to himself as he picked up the band and placed it into his coat pocket. He didn't want one of the newer collars due to the fact that they were always uncomfortable when first worn, especially when the little pet he had got it for was already uncomfortable enough as it was. He also didn't really want to put one on him in the first place, but now he had to after what had happened today.

Placing all of the other bands he had collected over the years back on the wall, the Alchemist turned and walked out of the supplies room. After Kharl reached the stairs at the end of the basement level, he began to climb them and disappeared into the shadows of the winding staircase.

When the Renkin Wizard reached the door to Rath's room he grabbed hold of the knob and gently turned it. As he quietly pushed the door open the man slowly stepped inside.

Kharl then noticed the sleeping figure of Rath still in bed to the left of him. The poor guy had been asleep for nearly two days now and hadn't stirred once since Kharl had found him in the forest. Sometimes the man would think the boy was having nightmares in the middle of the night because he would throw his head back and forth and slightly moan, before finally quieting down. But right now he lay quiet, resting calmly as if nothing had happened. He looked like a beautiful angel hidden under sheets of white at the moment, with black strands of his hair lying slightly against his flawless face.

Kharl slowly stepped forward, making his way to Rath's side. As he took each and every step the young man began to feel even worse about the aspect of having to place this thing around his wounded pet's neck. A slight frown then formed on the man's face at the thought.

Kneeling at Rath's side, Kharl lifted the boy up slightly and cradled him in his arms. Reaching into his coat pocket he then pulled out the velvet-soft collar. Regretting every passing second, Kharl quickly enchanted the piece of leather with a spell that wouldn't allow the one that were to wear it outside of the castle boundaries. An aura of red light then encircled itself around the band before vanishing. The young man then proceeded to gently place the collar around the sleeping boy's neck, taking caution as to not buckle the band to lightly. Then Kharl gently placed Rath back down on the bed and pulled the sheets back up to the Dragon Knight's shoulders, finishing his task at hand.

He then stood and turned to leave when he noticed the sight of the window to his right. When he glanced over to take a look out the window a wondrous sight glanced back. Beautiful shades of blue and purple danced across the sky over the silhouette of the mountains covered with moss and trees in the background. Before the mountain stood various pine trees and maple that were scattered across the landscape. A pond fed by a stream and waterfall from the mountain lay in the middle of Kharl's garden, over-looking the castle walls with various shades of rose bushes and plants around it. The water of the pond glistened against the midday sky and was teaming with life, giving the place a sense of mystic aura that arose and mixed in the air.

Kharl thought this was an absolutely wonderful sight and he marveled for a moment at the thought of how well he had raised his garden to blend right in with the landscape around it. The only thing it was missing was the fairies that hung out in the forests on the outskirts of Draqueen, dancing on the petals of flowers, leaves, and sparkling waters. The only thing that kept them from here was the fact that this was Dusis, the land of demons and home to the Demon Lord, Nadil. If they were to wander here they would surely be killed or used as weapons against the Dragon Clan.

Kharl then turned around as he picked up the hint that Gil must have started dinner, causing him to lift his gaze away from the window. The smell of freshly cooked meat, mixed with various herbs was churning in the air and the Alchemist could tell that he was going to enjoy his meal tonight. Walking to the door and opening it, the slender man walked out into the hallway. After shutting the wooden door to the room behind him, Kharl walked down the hallway and made his way to the kitchen where he was sure to find his dinner.

/&/

Back in the room the young boy's eyes opened and starred upwards towards the ceiling. The young Dragon Knight then realized after a few moments that he no longer was in the forest of Kainaldia hidden under the bush by some boulders he had crawled under. Instead he was in a room with sheets placed over him. Someone must have brought him here because he no longer wore his trench coat and shirt, but had been placed in someone's white T-shirt.

" _Where the hell am I? Who has brought me here and for what?" _Where the thoughts that rushed through Rath's mind at the first glance of his surroundings.

He was scared and not knowing what to do, the poor boy flung him self into a sitting position. As he did so, severe pain shot across his side, causing him to whimper in protest as he sunk back down into the bed sheets.

Fully unaware as to whom he was and what was going on, Rath once again fell into an unconscious state due to the immense pain ravaging his body. As he slept, the moonlight made its way into his room and cast its spell on everything in sight. Then it finally allowed the place to disappear in shadow.

"**_To be continued in chapter seven..."_**

**_An:_** Well, Rath is awake! Yay! Well he was...but now he passed out again, the poor guy. But there's good news because he shall awaken once again in the next chapter. Plus, I wonder what's going to happen when he meets the guys that have been taking care of him...oh, dune, dune, dune. If you want to find out you're going to have to wait until the next chapter is posted. Other then that, please tell me what you think . Also, if you have any recommendations for other good fan fictions please tell me because I like to read as well and not just write.


	7. Awakening Effect

"Black Wings" 

By, Vanpi

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, all of the characters in this story that are from Dragon Knights do not belong to me. A rare thing, but I'm using them at the moment to satisfy my always-twisting and turning imagination. – Usually this only includes my own characters, but this time it spewed this up and I'm unfortunately only along for the ride.

**Parings: **None so far and I don't know what's going to happen down the road.

**Notes: **The sentences written in Italics are thoughts.

**Warnings:** This story takes place in a time lap that doesn't directly follow Mineko Ohkami's plot line for the manga. This also means that, of you haven't noticed that a lot of the characters I've used are out of character to a certain extent. There may be some slight yaoi involved as well as some angst. This is also rated M for mature due to the language. If you're fine with all of this then I hope you enjoy the story. -

"Black Wings…" 

Chapter 7

Awakening Effect

A ray of bright sunlight pierced through the window of where Rath lay asleep after a long night of severe pain had left him with hardly any rest. The young Dragon Knight winced and rolled over onto his side as a ray of sunlight hit his face, immediately regretting it. Bolts of severe pain shot across his sides, abdomen and chest, causing the poor boy to gasp and curl up into a fetal position.

His eyes watered as he wished that he had died and had this over with before anyone had found him in this state. All he wanted to do more than anything at the moment was just get up and take off, but he couldn't. He thought to himself; _"And why is this? Because I have no memory of who I am, no clue of what I'm doing here in this retched place, let alone why, and no idea of who my enemies or friends are. Great going…Hell, I don't even know my own name! I did it this time. I fucked up everything, almost got myself killed and best of all, lost my own damn memory to boot! I'm so fucked up and I can't do anything right. I should have just died and that would have made everything better."_

Looking down at his shirt, Rath frowned. The teen then looked up to notice that there was a door located right across from him on the other side of the room. _"And great… there's even a bathroom staring strait at me. I guess a shower wouldn't hurt too bad… or would it? Fuck it! If anything, it'll help me clear my mind."_

After slowly forcing his body into a sitting position, the teen then placed his feet on the soft-carpeted floor. He slowly stood, afraid that his wounds might reopen, causing the pain to return. He then staggered across the room and on into the bathroom. Rath noticed that a shower/bathtub awaited him to the left upon entering the room that was complete with a sink and toilet to the right. The teen then slowly staggered to the other side of the bathroom and carefully sat down on top of the toilet seat. He then noticed that to the left of him coincidentally sat a towel and washcloth that had been neatly folded and placed on the sink counter sometime long before he had awaken.

"I might as well just get this done and over with." Rath whispered to himself.

The teen then began the painful task of removing his cloths. An intense burning sensation lashed at his side as he bent over to remove his pants, causing him to wince before continuing. The dark-haired Dragon Knight was grateful that his shirt didn't prove to be as difficult to remove.

As his figure stood naked before the mirror, a body covered in bandages stared back. The white of the bandages covered so much of his badly beaten and torn body that Rath now realized that taking a shower wouldn't be as easy a task as he had first thought. The teen then slowly removed his bloodstained bandages and got into the tub. When Rath turned on the shower and allowed the water to run down his severely beaten and torn body he immediately regretted it.

/&/

Gil walked down the corridors of his master's home, steadily making his way to check on Rath and see how he was doing. _"Rath's most likely asleep or else he'd be trying to escape with every second he had a chance to do so due to how hard headed he is. I don't blame him though because I'd do the some thing. Poor guy, caught in a trap with no way out…Kind of reminds me of someone I know."_

As the servant made his way to Rath's room he opened the door to gaze at only an empty chamber. The bed was empty, meaning that the hardheaded kid was awake and wondering around. _"Oh gosh, I got to go and find him. I hope his wounds haven't reopened due to recklessly moving around."_

"Meow…?"

As Gil turned to leave he noticed a ray of light in the doorway of where the bathroom was located. When he walked towards it to investigate the guy heard the sound of the shower running.

"Ah! God damn it!" Where the words that echoed throughout the bathroom a few seconds later and nearly scared Gil shitless. A load thud followed soon after.

"Meow…? What the…?" Gil was now standing in the doorway of the small shower-room.

Having just noticed the figure of Rath falling into the tub behind the curtain, he instinctively ran to the Dragon Knights side and pulled back the sheet of cloth. The naked form of a badly beaten, torn and bruised body belonging to Rath stared back at Gil. Somehow the washcloth that the boy had been using had landed perfectly on Rath's body, cleverly hiding his torso from view. Gil blushed at the sight and then quickly came back to reality. He then immediately turned off the shower.

"Um, may I ask what you were doing?" The blue haired demon asked as he looked down at the figure in front of him. Rath looked awfully surprised due to the situation but his wounds were so painful that he was afraid to move. Due to this he just sat there blushing slightly.

"What the hell are you doing here first?" Rath yelled a few seconds later as Gil got up and walked across the room, opening the closet doors in the corner.

"Helping you, I have to say. Unfortunately if you like it or not, I'm sorry." Gil pulled out an extra washcloth and shut the door. He then walked back over to Rath's side and knelt on the floor.

"You were taking a shower obviously. Now, do you want me to help you take a bath because I don't think you should try that again, at least for a while? I don't believe that it's a good idea for you to move around just yet by yourself anyway." The demon servant then looked at Rath, wondering what the boy wished to do next.

Rath gazed up at Gil with a look of utter disgust for a moment and then frowned as he looked back down at his knees._ "Shit! What have I got myself into this time?"_

"Well, I was trying to wash up. I suppose I should just get this done and over with for the time being. God, I hate this!" Rath hung his head in defeat as his pitch black hair fell in his face, hiding it from view. He had just allowed this guy to help him. Not just to help him get dressed, but to even wash up as well.

"Don't worry; I'll try to be as gentle on your wounds as possible. You've been in enough pain as it is. I'm sorry, you're not the only one that feels strange in this situation." Gil said as he drew the lukewarm bath water.

Rath quietly sighed. He felt defeated, but at least the water that touched his wounds now felt cooler then before. He was grateful that the burning sensation had dropped to a mild, yet still annoying ach. What a few degrees difference of water could do?

"Is the water cool enough for you?" The blue haired demon asked.

"Yah, it's fine."

Gil then began to wipe down Rath's body. When he came to the boy's neck he lifted up his collar to cleans the skin underneath.

"Hmm…"

"What is it?" Gil asked.

"Could you please remove that annoying thing? It makes me feel like a damn dog." Rath blurted out.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Came the servants reply.

"And why not?"

"Master Kharl has the key and I guess it's also there for you own protection." Gil said in protest.

"What the hell? Kharl, who the hell is he?" Rath nearly yelled, clearly annoyed by what Gil had said.

"The guy that owns this place, which found you and asked me to help nurse you back to health. Here, I think that you can do that much by yourself. In the meantime I'll get you a clean change of cloths." Gil said as he handed the washrag to Rath and pointed at the other cloth hiding his torso.

"Oh, yah…" Rath said, blushing slightly. He then pulled the curtain shut.

"Gil then walked out of the bathroom and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a large black t-shirt from the dresser sitting next to the bed. The blue haired demon then proceeded back into the bathroom only to find Rath wrapped in a towel as he sat on top of the toilet seat. The servant then helped the teen into his jeans before gently picking him up and carrying the boy back to his bed.

"What about that shirt?" Rath asked after Gil laid him on the bed.

"Well, you can't run around without your wounds bandaged. They'll get infected if you do." Kharl's pet protested as he pulled out the first-aid kit from under the bed.

"Hmm…"

"Here, let me bandage those wounds back up and then I'll go and grab you something to eat that Garfakcy cooked for breakfast earlier."

"Garfakcy…? Who is that?" Rath asked as Gil wrapped up his chest.

"Kharl's human assistant who's sneaky and insidious."

"And…Why's that?"

"It's just the way he is. That's maybe due to his desire of wanting to become a demon."

"Ok…" Rath looked at Gil with a slightly surprised look on his face but didn't say anything more. After the servant had finished cleaning up and putting everything away he proceeded downstairs. When he returned, the blue haired demon sat by the teen's side and kept him company as he ate in silence.

"By the way…Who are you again?" Rath asked after he finished his plate, breaking the slightly eerie silence surrounding them.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean…What's your name?" Rath asked again with a better choice of words.

"Sorry, I forgot to give it. My name is Gil." Gil said with a slight smile that played at his lips and seemed to slightly brighten up the dim room.

"Yah…That's cool, I guess." Rath replied as he yawned.

"It looks like it's time for you to rest." Gil said quietly when he noticed that the teen was beginning to doze off.

"Hmm…? Yah…Maybe."

"Well then, just rest and I'll bring you up some lunch later on. If you need anything just stay put and it'll be taken care of." Gil then stood up, took the tray and turned to leave. Rath groggily watched him as he left and then finally slipped into a dream.

/&/

Rune suddenly caught himself drifting off to sleep when Water began to roar excitedly.

"What is it Water?" Rune asked as his crystal-blue eyes darted around, looking at the landscape in wonder. The bluish-white dragon then stretched his neck slightly forward, signaling for his master to look straight ahead. The blonde Dragon Knight gazed into the distance in front of them, trying to see what Water had noticed. Upon first glance the former elf didn't notice anything unusual.

When he took a closer look at the horizon Rune finally noticed what Water had been trying to point out. There, just up ahead was where the skies and lands of Dragoon and Kainaldia crossed paths. From what it seemed, the portal leading to Draqueen was just out of reach, but they would be there in no time.

"Hey Kai-Stern, wake up." Rune said as he slightly pulled on the Dragon Officer's green coat sleeve.

"Hmm…? What is it? Is it Thatz?" Kai-Stern asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes and glanced down at the weak Dragon Knight of Earth in his arms.

"No... He's ok for now, but look." Rune said as he pointed at the pink and orange horizon. The blonde Dragon Officer then slowly sat up.

"Huh… What?" Kai-Stern replied as he looked towards the direction of which they where headed.

"The portal that links this land with our own lies just up ahead where that blue light looks to the sky. We should be back in Draqueen in a few hours."

"That sounds good to me. Let's get some rest until then. God knows we can all use it, especially Thatz." Kai-Stern said with a sigh of relief.

"You go ahead and rest. I'll just stand watch because I can't sleep right now as it is anyway."

"I think you should at least try." The Dragon Officer replied.

"No, I'll be alright. Thanks for the concern though." Rune said as he tried to fight back a yawn.

_"Ah, how I can't wait until we get back to Draqueen and out of this mess."_ Rune thought to himself as he glanced at the two other members of the Dragon Clan. He then watched Kai-Stern as he drifted off to sleep once again.

/&/

Deep in the chambers of the Demon Lord's castle Nadil sat, patiently awaiting the news of the Dragon Knight's capture. It was dark and dreary in this room of which the Demon Lord sat and a dark bluish hue hung in the air as like the rest of the castle.

"Shydeman…" The Demon Lord addressed his general.

"Yes, my lord?" Shydeman then acknowledged his master and bowed.

"I believe I told you to retrieve Rath and bring him to me after you killed the others. I take it that his absence suggests that you've failed in your attempt?"

"Yes, my lord. He slipped away after Perish's attack should have left him almost immobile."

"Hmm… And how did this happen?" Nadil calmly stood before his general and crossed his arms. His servant's long silver hair draped across the floor around him as Shydeman knelt before his master, bowing with nearly all respect.

"It seems that he staggered away from the scene and Kharl found his little pet before I could get to him. I followed the scent of Rath's blood to find where he had been hidden and he is, in deed, staying at the Alchemist's palace. We may retrieve him at any time you feel fit."

"Good, this might turn out better then I had first expected. Let the Dragon Knight rest up for the time being and when he's healthy enough to walk again we shall take him from his so-called master. Heh…!" An evil smile slowly played it's way across Nadil's lips as the thoughts in his mind twisted and turned, contemplating out the events that were to soon follow in the days to come.

"Shydeman, you're dismissed." Nadil said as he spoke again and then turned to leave.

"Thank you, my lord." With that the demon general known as Shydeman stood once again before his master and left his presence.

_"Heh! My plans are working out better then expected. Rath…you're just going to have to wait and see what I've got in store for you. I hope you rest well until then my little Dragon Knight."_ Nadil sat down, leaned back and quietly laughed to himself as he thought about the events to play out in the days ahead.

"**To be continued in chapter eight…"**

**An:** Sorry everyone…. I've neglected this story by hardly ever updating it and I personally think that the penalty should be death for me. Actually, I'm really glade I got this chapter out because I had writers' block for a while there. If it wasn't that then I'd be too busy with other things to write when I had the urge to. This is not to mention my stupid computer, that things going to die I tell yah. I'm almost to the point where I'm going to throw it out the window and leave it there in a pile of snow until it stops acting up. Ah well, to bad that won't work.

Anyways, I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Poor Rath, it seems as though his torture shall never end…. Well, let me warn you that it's only just started but he'll be happy later on…I hope. - As long as I stick with the original plotline for now he will be. But…I don't know. I mean, I could be really mean…jk. Let's just wait and see what happens ok? But, for now, just bear with me.

Plus, please tell me what you think of the story so far and if you have any suggestions or questions just leave a comment or send me an e-mail. Oh... for all of you who might have been waiting for an update and are still reading this story, thanks for staying with me. Plus, thanks to all of you who comment, you help encourage me to become a better writer. I appreciate it more then you know…. Now, I think it's time for me to stop my little rant.


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